Tag Archives: Tequila

Generally speaking, you know you’re in for a good time whenever tequila is involved. If said tequila is Casamigos, just do yourself a favor and schedule an Uber and enjoy the ride … and the cocktails.

That the tequila brand itself was the brainchild of Randy Gerber and George Clooney, who simply sought to create a tequila that “they could drink all day and not be hungover in the morning” should be incentive enough to try it out. But at a time when every reality TV star has their own line of something, I was skeptical. Turns out I should have saved my skepticism for the D-list celebs peddling lip gloss, because these guys know their tequila. (Randy & George, if by some bizarre twist of fate you read this, I humbly and sincerely apologize). If all that isn’t enough, the recent sale to Diageo for $1B should lend the company some extra cred.

Casamigos mixes well, is smooth enough to sip on the rocks, and every recipe we made during the event at Jaliso NorteI attended recently was surprisingly tasty. (I say “surprisingly” because until then, I lived in a world where tequila’s only time to shine was with salt, lime or grapefruit juice. How sad my life was.) Consider me educated.

We were treated to a class where we learned to make tequila cocktails with thyme, whipped cream, apples and cloves … all were all delicious and unexpected.

Combine above ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice. Stir for 50-60 revolutions or until well chilled and properly diluted. Garnish.

The venue matched the spirit of Casamigos perfectly—Jalisco Norte is stylish but down to earth, like that friend who dresses like an off-duty model but doesn’t just eat fries for likes. If you assumed that the last thing Dallas needed was another Mexican restaurant, set your assumptions aside and pay them a visit, you won’t be disappointed. Just make sure to pair your esquites and tuna tartare tostada with a Casamigos cocktail … even if it is a classic margarita.

My first thought before even opening this bottle … will this be some magic elixir or will it be evil sugar syrup?

The war to slowly trick up everything simple and good with extra flavors has been won. The traditionalist lost. First, they took our vodka to a chemical flavor factory. Next they added honey to our whiskey. Now, you can browse every single section of a liquor store and find combinations of flavors, chemicals and booze that you could argue God either never intended to exist or that he simply waited to give us the know-how to make apple-flavored everything. Ok, this sounds overly negative – and you’re right, because some of this stuff is really good. It’s just that once you spend a winter in New England burning through flavored whiskey/bourbon praying for snow to melt, you get really skeptical of everything.

So, when I had a chance to review Hornitos Spiced Honey, I was anxious. This is a tequila I really like, and the thought of it turning into a sugar fest with a kick was almost depressing to me. Also, flavored tequila just doesn’t sound right, but I fought through that by saying I used to feel the same way about whiskey. I decided to try it neat, on the rocks, and then in whatever cocktail/mixer felt right after I got the taste and made notes as I went.

When I opened the bottle, the honey scent was strong and the agave smell felt really dialed back. I had my wife (a non-tequila drinker) take a sniff … she told me she still thought it was strong, so maybe it’s a preference thing. I took a sip and was surprised it was close to a good spiced rum than anything else.

The vanilla and spice were well balanced and the tequila taste gradually came through after a few more sips. This was very easy to drink and I could see it easily becoming part of my rotation as a warm up drink for the evening or a shot that wasn’t hard to take down. It gets better as it opens up, but the one thing that quickly became apparent is that it wouldn’t fit my tastes for a traditional tequila recipe since so many of those drinks are traditionally sweet to begin with.

Luckily, I live in New England and its fall, so people are pushing apples everywhere. In Texas terms, think of that week hatch chiles show up or if someone made bluebonnets edible. After some recent success with Makers and cider, I decided to see how the tequila would mix with it. Despite the obvious sweetness, this was a solid nightcap and it left with a list of future ideas (and there are also several recipes on the website focused on mixers like tea and lemonade as well.)

Hornitos Spiced Honey is available almost everywhere with a retail price of $19.99 per 750ml bottle. If you’re looking for a change of pace from your regular tequila and enjoy the flavor of spiced rum and similar spirits, I’d definitely recommend picking up a bottle.

Whether it is warranted or not, very few spirits get the same bad wrap that poor old tequila does. Most of us know exactly why, too. Flashback to college … ahh, the good ole college days. To make a long (and messy) story short, there was usually tequila involved. Unfortunately, my buddies and I didn’t always go for the good stuff … we were drinking the bargain basement stuff like Montezuma and whatever else we could get our hands on (cheaply). Do I even need to go on and say that many a night ended badly? More than once, we learned the hard way that drinking the cheap stuff never was a good idea.

Good thing those days are over.

I was fortunate to be invited to one of Cantina Laredo’s new high-end tequila dinners via Susie. This 4-course dinner was at the Addison location and featured drink pairings that featured Tequila Herradura. Founded in 1870 in Amatitán, Jalisco, the brand has consistently produced high quality tequilas from the beginning. They insist on using traditional methods and 100% agave. The brand controls 30% of the tequila market in Mexico … so they must be doing something right.

There were three glasses of tequila to welcome us at our place settings. (That’s the way to start things off on the right foot!) We took things slow and sipped these over the course of the dinner, as one should with fine tequilas. Our first course was a Sope de Brisket, a delicious and tender beef brisket served in a flaky pie-like crust. The appetizer was accompanied by a Paloma cocktail. This was a simple but refreshing combination of Herradura Blanco tequila and Fresca soda. (OMG how I’ve missed Fresca!)

Paloma

Sope de Brisket

This was followed by a Mango Salad. While I am not normally a fan of fruit in salads, I actually didn’t mind this. The mango melded well with the dressing and queso fresco, and the jicama added in a nice crunch. It was fresh, light and colorful. The SantiagoCocktail comprised of Herradura Blanco shaken with Midori, grapefruit juice, grenadine and sweet and sour mix. It was enjoyed by others, but it was simply too sweet for my taste.

Mango Salad

Santiago

We had a choice between two main dishes … the Seabass Oscar with Chili de Arbol Sauce was excellent. The fish was perfectly cooked–tender, flaky and not overdone–and the sauce that accompanied it was the perfect mixture of spicy and sweet. This was definitely the better of the two options, but you couldn’t have gone wrong with the filet either. Here we enjoyed a classic Margarita with Herradura’s Reposado Tequila. You can’t beat a margarita made with top-shelf tequila, that’s all I will say… the Dia y Noche Flan was a nice finale to the dinner and was served with an Old 43 Cocktail. The Old 43 is a dangerously delicious mix of Añejo Tequila, Licor 43, Kahlua, half & half and fresh brewed coffee topped with whipped cream and a cherry. An awesome alcoholic, cinnamon-y hot chocolate drink.

For my inaugural post at SDD, I feel compelled to be completely honest with y’all: tequila and I have a rocky past. And by rocky… I mean sitting-on-the-curb-crying rocky. Fortunately for me, however, the lovely folks at Sauza provided me with the opportunity to reacquaint myself with former cocktail nemesis.

Find me some limes and color me converted, because Sauza Blue Silver and Sauza Reposado are tequilas for anyone whose tequila experience ends abruptly with frozen margaritas. The Sauza Silver is warm and citrusy with a clean finish, while Sauza Reposado is sweeter with notes of pepper and caramel.

Moral of the story? Tequila shouldn’t be shelved until summer rolls back around. Save yourself some liquor store browsing and snag some Sauza tequila and give one of these recipes a whirl!

In a small bowl, mix sugar, salt, red pepper and chili pepper. Dip the rims of the glasses in a splash of lemon juice then immediately into salt & sugar. Combine tequila, beer, limeade, water and hot sauce. Shake well and pour over ice into rimmed cocktail glasses.

In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Dip the rims of the glasses in a splash of Grand Mariner then immediately into cinnamon-sugar mix. Combine tequila, cider, Grand Mariner or Cointreau and lemon. Shake well and pour over ice into rimmed cocktail glasses. Garnish with cinnamon sticks or apple slices!

I am Florida born and raised on vodka cocktails and rum punches, but when I moved to Texas four years ago, I found my true love for tequila was just undiscovered. Whether it’s swirled with hints of fruit in a margarita or straight up on the rock, I like it smooth with salt and lime. Naturally, Texans love Cinco de Mayo because it celebrates God’s gift of Mexican food and tequila. So, as my favorite holiday quickly approaches, I wanted to share my thoughts on one of my recent discoveries, Partida Tequila.

One of the many perks of working with Susie Drinks Dallas is getting to try different lines of liquor, spirits, and wines. Recently, Partida Tequila sent me samples of their Partida Blanco line. From the production to packaging to blend of flavors, this tequila will have you feeling classy and sophisticated compared to the partiers throwing back shots at the bar. Disclaimer: I am not against tossing back shots, but that would just be a waste of the goodness that Partida has to offer.

All “tequila” must legally contain at least 51% blue agave, but the best contain 100%. Partida’s agave comes specifically from their estate, rather than multiple growers, which allows for consistency and control in the production process. After 7-10 years of cultivation, the agave is harvested by hand. (Talk about a labor of amor!) Most agaves are cooked “the old fashion way,” in stone ovens, which gives a bitter taste from soot that builds in the oven over time, but Partida uses state-of-the-art stainless steel ovens. The agave bakes over a period of 20 hours under precise temperature control and then the juices ferment slowly for 36-40 hours before distillation.

The unaged tequila is bottled as Partida Blanco and the rest is aged in one-pass Jack Daniels American oak barrels. (WHAT?! Did all my dreams just come true?) The barrel provides a rich, copper color with notes of cherry, almond, dried fruit, and allspice in addition to the peppery notes lent by the agave. One can sense hints of honey, chocolate, pear, and vanilla upon tasting. Reposado and Anejo are aged 50% more than required, which only enhances the flavor profile. None of the tequila contains additives or coloring agents.

Particularly, Partida Blanco makes me feel like I should be relaxing on the beaches of Cancun as the blend of blue agave, citrus, fresh herbs, and tropical fruit, are subtle and balanced. It lends a smooth taste that lets even those that swore against the powers of tequila to enjoy the flavors. It’s a great choice for cocktails and those looking to branch out from mediocre drinks. If you’re ever going to become a tequila sipper … this is the one to start with.

MUSIC

RECIPES

Combine the pepper, radish and kale leaf in the mixing glass of a Boston shaker and muddle. Add remaining ingredients and ice and shake vigorously. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a kale leaf and lime wheel.

Getting Figgy with It

1.5 parts Milagro Anejo

2 parts Lemon Sour

2 teaspoons Fig Jam

.5 parts Apple Juice

5 parts Egg Whites

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Blood Orange and Mint Cocktail

2 oz. Herradura Silver

2 oz. blood orange juice

½ oz. lime juice

½ oz. agave syrup

6-8 mint leaves

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously. Strain into a high ball over cubed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime disc.

The Freshest Sangrita

4 parts Milagro Silver Tequila

4 parts fresh lime juice

4 parts grapefruit juice

8 parts grenadine

3 red Serrano peppers

In four shooter glasses, pour Milagro Silver neat. Cut serrano peppers in half and remove and veins, seeds or stems. Blend the halves with remaining ingredients and allow pepper infusion to steep for 2-3 hours. Strain and pour into four separate shooter glasses.

Tequila Sunrise

3 oz. silver tequila

orange juice

1½ oz. grenadine

orange slice and cocktail cherry, to decorate

Put 4–6 cracked ice cubes into a chilled highball glass. Pour the tequila over the ice. Fll up with orange juice. Stir well to mix. Slowly pour the grenadine over the orange juice mixture. Decorate with the orange slice and cocktail cherry. Serve immediately.

Ocho has closed since this review was posted. The owners will reopen this location as another concept from their portfolio later this summer.

They call this place “Ocho” because I ATE everything…

I ventured into Ocho again to try some of their new offerings, both solids and liquids. The meal started with tequila shots. Usually tequila isn’t the way to get on my good side, but the shot of their Ocho Reposado began our meal on a surprisingly high note.

The wait staff made us feel at home, and was very attentive. They were all willing to share their food and drink preferences and recommendations, but weren’t too insistent that we go with their choices.

After the tequila we, with some direction from our waiter, moved onto the appetizer of crab guacamole (top, center). Complete with a stack of crab and homemade fried chips, I’ll have this appetizer again in a heartbeat. To accompany the creamy guac, Micheal* treated us to a Skinny Cougar (left, bottom). The SC was a refreshing grenadine drink that is a must-have while lounging on their airy (huge) patio.

We moved on to grilled Shoshito peppers (bottom, center) and lobster tacos (top, left). Both were out of this world. The tempura lobster tacos were some of the better seafood tacos I’ve had in quite a while, and the accompanying sauce takes the taste of the Tex-ified lobster to a new level. To go with this course, we enjoyed a smokey hatch chili margarita (top, right). The hatch chili powder was in the drink AND sprinkled on top along with a slice of jalapeño (that’s a spicy meat-a-ball!). Spicy cocktails are my jam, and this was some spicy heaven on earth.

Dessert was tres leches and some heavenly not-Weight-Watchers-approved berry something (right, 2nd to bottom). I’d pretty much devour both if set in front of me again.

*Michael Jordan (no, really, that’s his name) was one of the most helpful, hospitable bartenders I’ve ever come across. I love to challenge my barkeeps to make me things I like, and he’s more than up to the challenge. He’ll find you something you love, not just like. Visit Ocho just to let him choose a drink for you.

Stop into Ocho to try some of their new offerings and enjoy a drink (or three). They seem to have gotten their shit stuff together, and having a meal here is a truly enjoyable dining experience. Don’t miss their amazing patio while you’re there!